"Kawhi's Clippers tenure has been a massive disappointment" - Nick Wright says the Clippers have a fascination with the wrong player

The Los Angeles Clippers have built a castle in the sand by hitching their wagon to the talented but oft-injured All-Star Kawhi Leonard. This opinion was hammered home by renowned sports commentator Nick Wright , who lamented the franchise's decision to prioritize keeping the two-time NBA Finals MVP over Paul George.

Wright finds the organization's decision to give Kawhi a contract extension earlier this year and then balk at PG's contract demands puzzling. He grumbles over why the team is so loyal to a player who hasn't done anything significant for the franchise.

Why Kawhi?

To be fair, "The Claw" is one of the NBA's most feared two-way players, capable of getting buckets and locking down the opposing team's best weapon. Last season, the 6'9" forward averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, earning an All-Star berth and a spot on the All-NBA team.

However, as is always the case with Kawhi , he suffered a knee injury late in the regular season. He returned in the NBA Playoffs, played for two games, and was shut down for the rest of the postseason due to knee inflammation. Wright argues that despite all the historical evidence of Leonardi's shortcomings, the Clippers hold onto the belief in his potential to stay healthy and lead them to an NBA championship.

"I have never, ever seen a team or organization more enraptured by a player who hasn't delivered anything for them like the Clippers are with Kawhi. People can say, 'Oh, LeBron runs the Lakers,' and he may or may not, but his second year there, he delivered them a championship," Wright said on "First Things First."

After tearing his ACL in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, the former San Diego State star has played in only four postseason games—two each in 2023 and 2024. However, that did not stop the Clippers from investing significantly in the two-way stud, handing him a three-year, $153 contract extension in January. At the same time, they didn't feel the same about PG, who has been a more reliable option for the team in his five-season tenure in LA.

"What amazes me is that the Clippers, the moment they got Harden, prioritized getting Kawhi signed—not Paul George," Nick asserted.

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Hasn't achieved anything significant

Outside of the Clippers' run to the Western Conference Finals in 2021, the PG-Kawhi combo didn't do much in their five seasons together. In fact, Kawhi played in only 11 games in that postseason run before exiting the season due to a torn ACL. And even with Harden on the roster last season, LA couldn't get past the Dallas Mavericks in the first round.

"Kawhi Leonard and I don't really blame him for this, but the reality is his Clippers tenure has been a massive disappointment. That's mostly because his body has broken down, and I don't hold that against him," Nick stated.

Even though Kawhi felt good enough to try to play for the Olympic-bound Team USA, the Clippers eventually dropped him, deciding to let him focus on getting stronger for the upcoming season. Time will tell if Kawhi will get load-managed and sit out a game or two once the season starts, but his health is definitely a top priority for the Clippers.

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